X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Miguel Rojas and Nelson Cruz: Buying and Selling the Latest Offseason News for Fantasy Baseball

Even though the Winter Meetings are now behind us, there’s still plenty of offseason left when it comes to baseball news and rumors – especially with a number of the offseason’s top free agents still without a team. And that’s all without mentioning potential trades as there hasn’t been an overabundance of deals made so far. The reports and rumors of free agent interest and trade interest, combined with actual free agent signings and trades, will continue to have significant ramifications for fantasy managers ahead of drafts this Spring.

The aim of this column is to provide you with the latest fantasy analysis on both rumors and reports, as well as official signings and trades, and how it pertains to redraft fantasy baseball leagues this Spring. Moves, or rumors and reports, tabbed as “Buying” are obviously good moves or potentially good moves from a fantasy standpoint. Moves or potential moves and reported interest that are filed under “Selling?” Not so great.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the news.

Featured Promo: Get ANY MLB Premium Pass FREE (up to $119.99 value) AND up to a $200 deposit match when you sign up with Rival Fantasy. Rival offers 6 and 12-team Best Ball, weekly and daily, for as little as $3 per entry. No roster management, just draft and Rival sets your best lineup automatically. Use RotoBaller's Team Sync for free to crush your Rival Best Ball Drafts! Sign Up Today!

 

Buying For Fantasy Baseball

Miguel Rojas Being Traded To The Dodgers

Rojas is purely a shortstop option in deep fantasy leagues at this point after hitting .236 with a .283 on-base percentage, six home runs, and nine stolen bases in 507 plate appearances for the Miami Marlins last season. While he’s likely to stay as a deep league option for fantasy managers in the early portion of the season, his recent trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers gives him some newfound fantasy potential if everything lines up.

It seems unlikely that Rojas will step directly into Trea Turner’s job at shortstop given Los Angeles’ other options at the position, notably Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor. Though Lux and Taylor’s ability to play other positions could potentially give Rojas at least a semi-regular role where plate appearances are concerned. If the former Marlin can log somewhere in the range of 300 to 400 plate appearances, he could be a useful fantasy option in 14-team leagues given the number of run-scoring and RBI opportunities that are likely to occur in a Dodgers lineup that returns Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Trayce Thompson, and Lux and added J.D. Martinez.

Rojas should, relatively speaking, also be much more productive where both statistical categories – at least compared to what he did last season. The infielder logged just 36 RBI and 34 runs scored on a Marlins team that scored nearly 250 fewer runs (586) than the Dodgers did (847) this past year.

His RBI and run-scoring chances could also increase if Rojas’ BABIP isn’t on the unlucky side. Due to his nature as a hitter with high contact and low strikeout rates – the 33-year-old’s strikeout rate has yet to finish above 14% in a full season in the Majors – he’s turned in strong batting average metrics when his BABIP hasn’t cratered.

In the past six seasons, Rojas has turned in a BABIP above .300 in 2017, 2019, and 2020. In those seasons, he hit .290, .284, and .304. And even in those seasons, the BABIPs weren’t all that outrageous or gaudy.

Miguel Rojas’ Batting Average and BABIP Numbers By Season:

  • 2017: 306 PA, .324 BABIP, .290 batting average
  • 2018: 528 PA, .272 BABIP, .252 batting average
  • 2019: 526 PA, .314 BABIP, .284 batting average
  • 2020: 143 PA, .330 BABIP, .304 batting average
  • 2021: 539 PA, .295 BABIP, .265 batting average
  • 2022: 507 PA, .258 BABIP, .236 batting average

This is all without mentioning Rojas’ stolen base potential as well. The infielder has stolen at least nine bases in each of the last three full seasons and could theoretically top his career high of 13 in 2023 thanks to new rule changes introducing larger bases.

It’s not a guarantee that Rojas’ BABIP will play cooperate, but there’s some fantasy potential here now that Rojas is a member of the Dodgers.

 

Selling For Fantasy Baseball

Nelson Cruz Reportedly Agreeing To Terms With The Padres

Nelson Cruz has reportedly agreed to terms with the San Diego Padres on a one-year deal per a tweet from Z101’s Hector Gomez on Wednesday. Gomez tweeted the following:

“Nelson Cruz and San Diego Padres are in agreement for one year. @z101digital @ZDeportes.”

The 42-year-old, coming off a down year at the plate, hit .234 with a .313 on-base percentage, 10 home runs, and four stolen bases in 507 plate appearances for the Washington Nationals in 2022. It was his first full season ever at the Major League level in which he didn’t collect 22 or more home runs. What was perhaps most concerning was a sudden decrease in quality contact.

Cruz’s barrel rate, while still solid at 9.3%, dipped below the 13.5% mark for the first time in the last seven seasons. His xwOBA dropped to just .320 after finishing no lower than .363 in the previous seven campaigns. What’s more, the slugger, who routinely flirted with or topped a .500 mark where xwOBAcon was concerned, logged a .377 xwOBAcon in 2022.

In short, he just wasn’t making as much quality contact, and that clearly took a toll on his power numbers. Of course, seeing his ground ball rate increase by nearly 10% from 42.9% in 2021 to 52.4% last year probably had something to do with that. Still, the decrease in loud contact was hardly ideal.

Without recent elite expected numbers metrics at the plate, or recent elite power numbers, it’s hard to forecast him as a viable fantasy option in anything other than deeper leagues at this point. And given the roster construction in San Diego, it seems unlikely he’ll play full-time. The Padres are set most everywhere except left field at the moment, but once Fernando Tatis Jr. eventually returns, they’ll have a full lineup.

That could lead to some early, consistent playing time for Cruz, with Matt Carpenter shifting to left field, but the batting order looks far too crowded for a full season’s worth of plate appearances for the former National. This seems like a move that could have more of an impact from a real-life baseball standpoint than a fantasy baseball one.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy baseball app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, sleepers, prospects & more. All free!



More Fantasy Baseball Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Player Comparisons
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Al Horford7 hours ago

Back On The Injury Report
Derrick White7 hours ago

Off The Injury Report
TJ Friedl8 hours ago

Hits 10-Day Injured List
Aaron Gordon8 hours ago

Cleared To Face Phoenix
Michael Porter8 hours ago

Jr. Good To Go Wednesday
Nikola Jokic8 hours ago

Playing Against Phoenix
Jackson Chourio8 hours ago

Will Start In Right Field Friday
Jrue Holiday8 hours ago

Might Return On Thursday
Khris Middleton8 hours ago

Expected To Play On Thursday Night
Joel Embiid9 hours ago

To Return Soon?
Jamal Murray9 hours ago

Out Again On Wednesday
Rudy Gobert10 hours ago

Ready To Rock Against Pistons
LeBron James10 hours ago

Officially Active Against Memphis
Eduardo Rodriguez10 hours ago

Starts Throwing Program
Anthony Davis10 hours ago

Won't Play Against Grizzlies
Victor Wembanyama10 hours ago

Playing On Wednesday
Anthony Edwards10 hours ago

Will Play Against Detroit
Garrett Mitchell10 hours ago

Will Miss 6-8 Weeks
Aaron Nesmith10 hours ago

Back For Pacers Wednesday
Alec Burks10 hours ago

Remains Out On Wednesday
Chad Green10 hours ago

To Lead Closer Committee In Toronto?
Mitchell Robinson10 hours ago

Returns For Knicks Wednesday
Erik Swanson10 hours ago

Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson Officially Heading To Injured List
Kevin Gausman10 hours ago

To Make Season Debut Sunday Or Monday
Dejounte Murray10 hours ago

Upgraded To Available
John Konchar11 hours ago

Downgraded To Out
Vince Williams11 hours ago

Jr. Misses Another Game On Wednesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo11 hours ago

Expected To Face The Pelicans
Gleyber Torres12 hours ago

Will Bat Leadoff On Opening Day
Mark Hubbard12 hours ago

Coming Off A Career Performance
Davis Thompson12 hours ago

Looking To Pay Off A Stellar Run Of Ball-Striking
Max Scherzer12 hours ago

Making Solid Progress
Akshay Bhatia12 hours ago

Coming Into Houston With Confidence
Thorbjorn Olesen12 hours ago

Still Trying To Find Footing On U.S. Soil
Patrick Rodgers12 hours ago

Fighting Inconsistencies Heading Into Houston
Malik Nabers13 hours ago

Shines At Pro Day
Carolina Panthers13 hours ago

Jadeveon Clowney Signing Two-Year Deal With Panthers
Jordan Lawlar13 hours ago

To Have Thumb Surgery, Out A Couple Months
Wyndham Clark14 hours ago

Battling Back Injury Ahead of Houston Open
San Francisco 49ers15 hours ago

Talanoa Hufanga Expected To Return At Training Camp
MLB15 hours ago

Braves And Phillies Rained Out On Thursday
Jayden Daniels15 hours ago

Raiders To Meet With Jayden Daniels
MLB15 hours ago

Mets And Brewers To Be Postponed Thursday
Tank Bigsby15 hours ago

Jaguars Want Tank Bigsby More Involved
Will Smith15 hours ago

Inks 10-Year Extension With Dodgers
Josh Reynolds15 hours ago

Signs Two-Year Deal With Broncos
Jon Berti16 hours ago

Yankees Acquire Jon Berti From Marlins
Kodai Senga16 hours ago

Throws Wednesday
Matt McLain17 hours ago

Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Doug Ghim17 hours ago

Looks To Bounce Back At Houston Open
PGA17 hours ago

Cameron Davis Seeking Consistency Ahead Of Houston Open
Thomas Detry17 hours ago

A Gamble At Houston Open
Ryan Fox17 hours ago

Lacks Upside Heading Into Houston Open
Andrew Novak17 hours ago

Will Be Chalk At Houston Open
Josh Doan18 hours ago

Scores Twice In His NHL Debut
Filip Forsberg18 hours ago

Makes History In Big Comeback Win
Jamie Benn19 hours ago

Scores In Fifth Consecutive Game
Sidney Crosby19 hours ago

Collects Three Points Versus Carolina
Artemi Panarin19 hours ago

Continues Scoring Tear With Three Assists
Joey Daccord19 hours ago

Shuts Out Ducks
Sahith Theegala20 hours ago

Showing Consistency This Season
Wyndham Clark20 hours ago

Working Toward Star Status
Scottie Scheffler20 hours ago

Heads To Houston At His Best
Colton Cowser20 hours ago

Makes Opening Day Roster
Sam Ryder20 hours ago

Putting The Lights Out Of Late
Joel Dahmen21 hours ago

All Systems Go For Joel Dahmen In Houston
Kurt Kitayama21 hours ago

Ready For Houston Debut
Ben Griffin21 hours ago

Finding Form Heading To Houston
Yariel Rodriguez1 day ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Taylor Moore1 day ago

Continues Made-Cut Streak Heading To Houston
Adam Svensson1 day ago

Hoping For Consistency In Houston
Taylor Montgomery1 day ago

Looks To Bounce Back In Houston
Jordan Montgomery1 day ago

Diamondbacks Agree On One-Year Deal
Amon-Ra St. Brown1 day ago

Discussing Extension With Lions
Jared Goff1 day ago

Lions Discussing New Deal
J.K. Dobbins1 day ago

Cleared For Football Activities
Los Angeles Rams1 day ago

Tre'Davious White To Join Rams
Jon Gray1 day ago

Dealing With Stiff Neck
PIT1 day ago

Sam Poulin Recalled From AHL
Jack Quinn1 day ago

Could Return Wednesday
Scott Mayfield1 day ago

Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery
TOR2 days ago

Mitch Marner Skates On His Own Tuesday
Trevor Zegras2 days ago

To Return Tuesday
Justus Annunen2 days ago

Inks Two-Year Extension
Nick Chubb2 days ago

Expected To Start Load Running Next Month
Justin Verlander2 days ago

Throws Successful Live BP Session
D'Andre Swift2 days ago

Bears View D'Andre Swift As Receiving Weapon
Cordarrelle Patterson2 days ago

Signing With Steelers
Sam Howell2 days ago

Seahawks Believe Sam Howell Can Be A Full-Time Starter
Tennessee Titans2 days ago

L'Jarius Sneed Agrees On Four-Year Contract With Titans
Dak Prescott2 days ago

No Indication A Deal Is Coming For Dak Prescott
Calvin Ridley2 days ago

To Have Big Role In Tennessee
Josh Jacobs2 days ago

To Be Used More In Passing Game
Brandon Saad2 days ago

Gets Another Goal In Monday's Loss
Logan Thompson2 days ago

Stretches Winning Streak To Three Games
Shea Theodore2 days ago

Maintains Good Scoring Form With An Assist
Brock Boeser2 days ago

Hits Goal No. 37
Cam Talbot2 days ago

Collects Fourth Consecutive Win
Anze Kopitar2 days ago

Records Fourth Straight Multi-Point Game
Oskar Sundqvist2 days ago

Suffers Knee Injury
Elias Lindholm2 days ago

Sits Out Monday
Jonathan Marchessault2 days ago

Bags Overtime Winner Monday
Pittsburgh Steelers2 days ago

Cameron Heyward Expected To Be Healthy For Training Camp
Zach Wilson2 days ago

Jets Could End Up Keeping Zach Wilson
Jarrett Stidham2 days ago

To Compete For Starting Job
Amanda Ribas3 days ago

Takes Decision Loss
Rose Namajunas3 days ago

Snaps Losing Streak
Edmen Shahbazyan3 days ago

Scores Vicious Comeback Knockout
AJ Dobson3 days ago

Knocked Out In The First Round At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla3 days ago

Gets Back On Track With Submission Win
Luis Pajuelo3 days ago

Submitted In UFC Debut
William Byron3 days ago

Dominates For Victory At COTA
Ty Gibbs3 days ago

Grabs Another Solid Finish At COTA
Chris Buescher3 days ago

Texas Native Chris Buescher Finishes Eighth At COTA
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Kyle Busch Confronts Christopher Bell Following A Top-10 Finish At COTA
Justin Haley3 days ago

Disqualified After Strong COTA Run
Martin Truex Jr3 days ago

. Rounds Out Top Ten At COTA
NASCAR3 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Worms Way Up To Sixth At COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen3 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Comes Down to Earth After Mediocre COTA Run
Ross Chastain3 days ago

Ran Well at COTA as Usual Despite Late-Race Fade
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Furious Charge Falls Just Short at COTA
Tyler Reddick3 days ago

Scores Strong Finish of Fifth at COTA
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Finishes 16th at COTA After Lackluster Performance
Billy Quarantillo4 days ago

Suffers Submission Loss At UFC Vegas 89
Youssef Zalal4 days ago

Gets Submission Win In Return To The UFC
Cameron Saaiman4 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Vegas 89
Payton Talbott4 days ago

Scores KO Win At UFC Vegas 89
Justin Tafa4 days ago

Drops To .500 In The UFC
Karl Williams4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Kyle Larson4 days ago

Is One Of The Optimal DFS Options For COTA
Denny Hamlin4 days ago

Should Denny Hamlin Be Rostered For DFS Lineups At COTA?
Kaz Grala4 days ago

Is A Serviceable DFS Play For COTA
Shane Van Gisbergen4 days ago

Will Start 12th In First COTA Cup Start
Todd Gilliland4 days ago

Is A Sneaky DFS Play With Upside For COTA
William Byron4 days ago

Is One Of The Top Favorites To Win At COTA
Christopher Bell4 days ago

Is A Comfortable DFS Play For COTA
Tyler Reddick4 days ago

the Favorite to Win at COTA
Ty Gibbs4 days ago

Looking for First Career Win at COTA
Rose Namajunas6 days ago

Looks To Get Back In Win Column
Amanda Ribas6 days ago

Set For Main-Event Matchup
Edmen Shahbazyan6 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
AJ Dobson6 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 89
Fernando Padilla6 days ago

Seeking Victory In Third UFC Appearance
Luis Pajuelo6 days ago

Makes His UFC Debut
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF